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Sunday, 15 July 2012

Road trips. Is there anything better than the
liberation that accompanies feeling the wind blow through your fingers, or the
freedom in standing in a place you’ve never once stood? People go on road trips
of all shapes and sizes for different reasons: a break from the mundane daily
routine, a family-centered journey to some magical far-away place, to seek
adventure and inspiration, for solitude, and the list continues. Canada is one
of the most road trip-worthy countries in the world, offering diverse vistas
and itineraries sure to please anyone, from the anxious nomad to the novice
homebody. In lieu of my past experiences tripping across the country, I’ve
compiled a master list of the best places to go when the call of the road beckons.
Just close your eyes and point.

1)
Cabot Trail

The legendary Cape Breton Island rests on the
Northeastern point of Nova Scotia and is the crown jewel of Maritime Canadian
destinations. Although the island occupies a large portion of the province, it’s
most sought after destination is the Cape Breton Highlands National Park,
situated at the edge of the province and only accessible by the world famous
Cabot Trail, a 298 Kilometre loop that enters the park and runs through many
small coastal communities. This roads gives you the best of both worlds: high
mountainous ranges with winding switchbacks and rugged coastal shorelines like
candy for the eyes.

Recommended Stops: Check out the town of Ingonish,
located on the Southwestern side of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, or
relax on Ingonish beach 11 minutes South on the Cabot Trail at the opening of
South Ingonish Harbour. The Cape Breton Highlands National Park Visitor’s
Centre is located in Cheticamp on the South end of the Cabot Trail.

2)
Gaspe Peninsula

At the mouth of the mighty St. Lawrence River in
Southeastern Quebec lies the Gaspe Peninsula and, seemingly, the edge of the
world. Highway 132 circumnavigates the peninsula and is a traveler’s best bet
for experiencing French-Canada’s rural countryside. Sea cliffs and river
tributaries mark the landscape like gorgeous blemishes in stark contrast to the
ocean below. The Gaspe Peninsula is certainly a road trip you’ll want to take
slowly.

Recommended Stops: The towns of Gaspe and Perce are
popular destinations for this trip, both adding their own uniqueness to the
rural French-Canadian culture. Be sure to visit the peninsula’s national parks
as well: Gaspesie National Park, located on highway 299 off Sainte Anne des
Monts on the Northern interior and Forillion National Park, located on highway
132 due North of Gaspe on the very tip of the peninsula. Also see: Cap-Des
Rosiers Lighthouse, Bioparc De La Gaspesie and Bonaventure Island, all in Gaspe
town-area for more awesome activities.

3)
Muskoka Woods

Muskoka, Ontario is prime lake country, and the
side-trip options are endless. Highway 60 is the main artery that runs through
the small townships and parks of the area, and it literally carves through the hills
of limestone and shale that serve as a foundation for lush boreal forests. The
main attraction in the area, though, is none other than Algonquin Provincial
Park, a place that requires no introduction. So, whether you’re into fishing,
camping, sandy beaches on pristine lakes, heart-pumping hikes or just an
opportunity to relax and soak in the unbridled wilderness, Muskoka Woods has it
all.

Recommended Stops: Besides Algonquin Park...Lake
Simcoe, Kawartha Highlands and the Muskoka Lakes/Georgian Bay area are all
fantastic options for adventure.

4) Icefields Parkway

Alberta is known for either its two largest
metropolitan destinations (Edmonton and Calgary) or its two largest parks
(Jasper and Banff). Given the option, I’ll always choose the latter, primarily
because its connector route, the Icefields Parkway, is a stunning road trip,
albeit a small one (it only takes about 4 to 5 hours to travel). This scenic
road actually follows a continental divide, allowing for great viewing
opportunities of massive glacial valleys, hence the “Icefields” Parkway.

Recommended Stops: Jasper and Banff.....Duh. But
also take some time to hike or drive out to these other great locations:
Sunshine Meadows, Vermillion Lakes, the Norquay Lookout, Maligne Canyon,
Athabaska Falls and Bald Hills. Lake Louise is also another option right on the
South end of the Parkway if you like being pampered a little more.

5)
Sea to Sky Corridor

The Sea to Sky Highway was conveniently named for
doing exactly what it does: taking you from sea level at British Columbia’s
Horseshoe Bay to the high elevations of the Southern Rocky Mountain Range,
eventually terminating in Pemberton where highway 99 will take you further
North if you so choose. This is quintessential Rocky Mountains driving, winding
in and out of ominous canyons and over rushing whirlpools, enough to either
make you very excited or very carsick (or both). All in all, the Sea to Sky
highway occupies a mere 135 kilometers of tar, but it packs a copious amount of
epicness.

Recommended Stops: Squamish will be the first main
destination along the highway, and avid hikers wouldn’t want to miss an
opportunity to summit the Squamish Chief. Whistler and Blackcomb Mounatins
offer world-class skiing and snowboarding with resorts to satisfy the even the
snobbiest of travellers.

6)
Sunshine Coast

Ah, yes, it’s mid-summertime and all you can think
of is white sandy beaches, the sun on your face and the waves crashing against
your feet. What better place in Canada is escape to in the summer than
Southwestern BC’s Sunshine Coast?
Beginning in Horseshoe Bay, the Sunshine Coast Highway stretches North along
the interior coast and passes the picturesque coastal towns and beaches of Earls
Bay, Powell River and Gibsons, eventually hitting the end of the road in the
tiny fishing village and wharf of Lund. The entire trip is 184 kilometers long
and consists of two ferry crossings, just in case you forgot that you’re
driving alongside an inlet of the largest ocean on earth. Beach bums beware,
once you experience the Sunshine Coast, you may never want to leave.

Recommended Stops: Plenty of stop-worthy settlements
and beaches dot the highway, including Bowen Island, Nelson Island an Sechelt. Once
in Lund, you have the option of Kayaking or chartering a boat into the
unforgettable Desolation Sound, where hundreds of small coves and tide pools
beg for exploration.

7)
Stewart-Cassiar

You’re headed North now, in search of a more
isolated journey, maybe to reconnect with nature or meditate the landscape. In
Norhwestern Canada, plenty of options are available, but a trip you won’t want
to miss is the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, spanning 752 kilometers from Kitwanga,
BC to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. The highway traverses over the Cassiar
Mountain Range at the very Northern tip of the Rocky Mountains, gaining a total
elevation of 2677 feet. The highway is well maintained year round and offers
activities for every season, but the biggest draw to driving this itinerary is
the raw and untamed wilderness you’ll encounter. Prepare for plenty of roadside
animal sightings including Moose, Bison, Black Bears, the occasional Grizzly,
Caribou, Red Fox and more. For all of its connection to the outside world, The
Stewart-Cassiar is a perfect trip for the nature lover.

Recommended Stops: I recommend starting/ending your
trip in Prince Rupert, BC’s Northernmost coastal town and just a short drive
West of Terrace for its options to fish, paddle, hike or drive inland and
across the breathtaking Queen Charlotte Islands.

8)
Liard-Yellowhead

The Northwest Territories are indeed Canada’s great
beyond; a vast expanse of untouched land where few call home and even fewer
seek to explore. Fortunately, for those that do, there are a couple of options
to visit this magnificent place by land. One of those routes is the incredible
Liard-Yellowhead highway, beginning just North of Fort Nelson, BC and ending in
Yellowknife, the cosmopolitan capital city of NWT. It’s the journey of getting
there, though that will make it worthwhile. The Liard-Yellowhead first traverses
the great Nahanni Range just inside the NWT border before dropping down to the
hundreds of lakes and tributaries of North-central Canada where vegetation is
sparse and the views are spectacular.

Recommended Stops: The Nahanni River National Park
lies just inside the NWT border and is a very worthwhile day trip on the side.
A few Aboriginal settlements along the way provide services and an opportunity
to learn about Canada’s First Northern Peoples. These stops include Fort Liard,
Fort Simpson and Fort Providence, in order from South to North.

9)
The Dempster Highway

If you’re seeking a true adventure and
earth-shattering isolation, the Dempster Highway is your road trip. Starting
just South of Dawson City, Yukon, the Dempster Highway follows a North-easterly
route past the Arctic Circle and eventually stops in Inuvik, Northwest
Territories. It is the furthest North one can travel by car while still inside
Canada, and you’ll certainly know it as the Boreal Forest gives way to the
Arctic Tundra and rolling mountains strip themselves of greenery, leaving a
barren landscape that is all but devoid of activity. A word to the wise: The
Dempster is notoriously tough-going, so make sure you get a full tune up and
bring a couple of spare tires. You wouldn’t want to be stuck out in the land of
the midnight sun.

Recommended Stops: Dawson City is a preserved
gold-rush era town where you can still play craps in an old casino and watch
cancan girls on stage. At the very beginning of the highway is Tombstone
Territorial Park, one of Yukons most treasured protected areas. Other than this,
the only real stops you’ll encounter on this 12 hour trip
will be Eagle Plains and Fort McPherson, both offering very basic services and
amenities. Don’t forget to note when you’ve crossed the Arctic Circle – this is
where 24 hour daylight or darkness occur during the summer and winter seasons.
I recommend travelling during fall (last two weeks of August for this area)
when the tundra comes alive with wonderfully vivid autumn colours.

10)
Trans-Canada

None of these road trips long enough for you? Don’t
fret, you can drive across the entire freakin’ country if you take the
incredible Trans-Canada Highway! Canada has plenty of road trips for everyone,
most of which branch out of a highway that hits both oceans and traverses
through four different ecosystems. The Trans-Canada highway actually has two
different branches, both of which offer endless options for adventure,
relaxation and discovery. So go on now, get road trippin’!!

Monday, 9 July 2012

"I was born in Toronto June 21st. 1935. Had an
Irish mother and a British father. My education was mostly in Canadian Private
schools as my father, after WW2, became a School Master. After I finished
school in 1952 I went to Guernsey in the Channel Islands where my mother was
living. I started work on a Dutch cargo boat taking tomatoes from Guernsey to
Belfast in Northern Ireland. That was fun! I also rented out deck chairs at a
beach. Finally, in 1955 after a quick trip back to Canada where I got a job
with the Bell Telephone in Montreal, I returned to London and joined the Hong
Kong Shanghai Bank – now HSBC – and was posted to Malasyia in ’57. While in
London with the bank I also got interested in ballet along with my then girlfriend.
Then, on the same day that the bank informed me of my posting to Singapore,
that evening at ballet practice my teacher – Margaret Morris – asked me if I’d
like to join a new ballet company – The Celtic Ballet - she was forming in
Glasgow, Scotland! What a choice, and all on the same day! I chose the bank, as
I knew my father would undo his nut if I chose the ballet, as he had been a
strict military officer as well as a strict schoolmaster. I also wanted to live
in other cultures and learn - but it was a hard decision. I worked in
Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Caribbean and finally on Wall Street. Then I
went to the Yukon in 1970.

It was my wonderful mother who opened my eyes to the
spiritual path. That was on an island called Sark near Guernsey where she had
taken me one beautiful day in 1952 to quietly introduce me to her spiritual
insights. I embraced it immediately! Then when I went to London to the bank I
connected with a spiritual group called the White Eagle Lodge. They were
wonderful people and still exist. I also went overseas to Buddhist temples and
learned from the monks, and also to Hindu temples for the same reason. Finally,
I became a member of the Theosophical Society first founded by the Russian lady
Helena Blavatsky in the 1880s. Wherever I went I always connected with
spiritual groups with whom I felt comfortable. I learned much.

In the 1960s I had two special teachers who were a great
influence on me. The first was the very well known Major Tudor Pole who worked
with the King and Churchill during the war and who, at the time, was in
Glastonbury, England, where my mother was. I was again on my 6 months home
leave from the bank after another tour in Pakistan, and became intrigued in
helping to restore the Chalice Well and Gardens there, which TP had started to
do. He had a very powerful influence on me, although I didn’t entirely realise
it at the time.

The other teacher was Namjyal Rinpoche whom I met when I
returned to Toronto in 1967 having then changed banks and joined the Bank of
Nova Scotia’s foreign staff in the Caribbean - Trinidad. When I went home on
leave it was he who in 1970 influenced me to move to the Yukon and leave my
banking profession. He had had a vision and knew that the northern lands of the
earth would be the safest in these critical unfolding times as we pass between
Ages.

So, my first 10 years in the Yukon were living in the bush
off and on where I built a log cabin and a greenhouse and survived very well -
eventually with a loving and beautiful wife, and two children. Rinpoche
actually came up with some students in 1977 and brought them to visit me in our
bush home, which was 7 miles off the main road on a bush trail! It was, it
seemed, his stamp of approval! He taught me so much. He passed from this life
in 2003. He is greatly missed.

While in the Yukon I worked in real estate where I did quite
well and was, at one point, in the top 100 in Canada out of 90,000 – not bad
eh! At one point I also worked in a local organic
bakery called The Alpine Bakery.

I would also like to add that since I was 18 I have been a
vegetarian, feeling that all life is sacred and a healthier way to eat. At 77
and still healthy I feel I have proven that. It is however important to eat
organic foods otherwise your body cells do not get the nutrition they need.
North Americans are the sickest people in the world and no one is asking why!
The way to health is to look at the CAUSE of ill health not ‘cure’! Of course
medical doctors have their place but I look to the Alternative health
professionals first, and herbal cures before others.

I love the Yukon and its relative quiet and beauty,
especially these days when you look out at a world going mad! For those who
also recognise this unfolding crisis humanity is facing, here in Yukon would be
a great area to live and be an example in which to demonstrate community
living, while it – Yukon - still presents such pristine beauty and inspiration.

Thank you Aaron for this opportunity to share with others.
Live Long and Prosper! J Michael."

Bloggers note: Michael Brine lives in Whitehorse, Yukon and has been a good friend of mine for over two years. When I asked him to share his incredible story, he graciously obliged and wrote this passage for my blog. Thank YOU Michael for sharing a small part of your life. What a wonderful picture you paint.

Michael Brine is currently a regular columnist for the Whitehorse Star and active blogger on the website Mission Ignition - Beyond the Box. He can also be contacted via email at wild.brine621@gmail.com.

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About Me

I am a curious person by nature and have an immense passion for learning and new experiences. Travelling and stepping out of my comfort bubble are huge parts of my life. I try to live creatively with everything I do while supporting the global community as both a leader and a student.